Tolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]

Oliphaunts

2009-09-30T12:39:48Z

Swmprd92:

{{sources}}
[[Image:Alan Lee - An Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|250px|An Oliphaunt by [[Alan Lee]].]]

'''Oliphaunts''' large [[Elephants|elephants]] of unknown species. In the tongue of the [[Haradrim]], they were known as ''mûmakil'' (singular ''[[mûmak]]''); this was later used by the [[Men]] of [[Gondor]].

==The animal==
From monstrous to homely; the Elephant was clearly a loved and respected animal in Tolkien's factual bestiary. In [[The Black Gate is Closed]] [[Sam Gamgee]] foreshadows the appearance of the creatures when he stands up, puts his hands behind his back and begins; "Grey as a mouse, big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake... etc". This poem is published in full on this website under the title [[Oliphaunt]].

Oliphaunts were clearly a legendary creature to the Hobbits, judging from the delighted recognition by Sam, of the elephantine individual which later crashed past their hiding place in [[North Ithilien]] in [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]. Presumably this recognition came from ancient tales from when the hobbits lived further south and east or from their contact with other more wandering peoples after the hobbits had firmly settled themselves in [[The Shire]] and the [[Bree]]lands. Investigation of Tolkien's texts does not suggest an appearance or reference to Oliphaunts prior to the [[Third Age]].

In [[The Lord of the Rings]] the beasts are being used by fighting men from [[Harad]] as trained servants of war to intimidate their enemies and their enemies' horses and to provide an oversight of battle-fields. This gives a joint nod to the use of war-elephants by Persians and the Moghuls of India and perhaps also to the use by Hannibal of African Elephants in sacking parts of Italy during the late 2nd Century.

The Oliphaunts or [[Mûmakil]] to use the plural of the singular [[Mûmak]] were notably used by the men of Harad in [[The Siege of Gondor]] and subsequently in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15th, T.A. 3019. They were big enough to carry tower-like structures on their backs, but as this practice has been used with modern species of elephants, it is left to the the reader's imagination as to whether the beasts referred to in the Lord of the Rings are particularly gigantic.

On a practical level, for people to be confronted with such large, thick-skinned, unfamiliar and unpredictable beasts would have meant an immediate disadvantage. Working out how to effectively kill or disabled a raging mûmak on a chaotic battlefield would have been a trying task to say the least. Tolkien makes reference in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to horses being frightened of them; "... wherever the ''mûmakil'' came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the [[Haradrim]] rallied about them." A heroic and possibly tragically lone solution, is made later in the text; "and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close enough to shoot at the eyes of the monsters."
--Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

==Etymology==
The word "oliphaunt" was only used by [[Hobbits]]. [[Gandalf]] mentions [[elephants]] once in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' so perhaps 'oliphaunt' is a [[Hobbitish]] corruption of this original word. But whether these two creatures are the same, can not be said with certainty.

Oliphant/olifant/olifaunt had been archaic words for elephant and the ivory. The most famous use of the oliphant (as in horn) is in ''[[wikipedia:The Song of Ronald|The Song of Roland]]'' "The oliphant is set to Roland's Lips"; Roland fails to call for help at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 until it is too late for him and his comrades.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
'''1968: ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Hobbit]]'':'''
:Gandalf's line "Great elephants!" was replaced by "Great oliphaunts"; this was one of several uses of material from ''The Lord of the Rings''.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Two oliphaunts appear in the ambush in [[Ithilien]]. They are CGI created, and they are much, much bigger than today's elephants; furthermore, they have 2 sets of big tusks and one set of tiny tusks.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Oliphaunts are used in the scenes from the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], mounted with towers and decorated with deadly spikes on their multiple tusks. The [[Rohirrim]] charge headlong into battle, and even pass under them. Several oliphaunts were killed.

:[[Weta]] made a large slain prop ''mûmak'' at almost the last minute, much to Weta staff's consternation, on request by the director Peter Jackson. It appears in the scene where [[Peregrin Took]] enters the field and locates the dazed and disoriented [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] after his experience with [[Eowyn]] in successfully slaying the [[Witch-king of Angmar]]. Rumour has it that the prop became a favourite picnic destination for crew members.

[[de:Mûmakil]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:mumakil]]
[[fi:Mûmakil]]

[[category:Mammals]]

Oliphaunts

2009-09-30T12:37:43Z

Swmprd92: /* Portrayals in adaptations */

{{sources}}
[[Image:Alan Lee - An Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|250px|An Oliphaunt by [[Alan Lee]].]]

'''Oliphaunts''' were animals similar to - but larger than - [[Elephants|elephants]]. In the tongue of the [[Haradrim]], they were known as ''mûmakil'' (singular ''[[mûmak]]''); this was later used by the [[Men]] of [[Gondor]].

==The animal==
From monstrous to homely; the Elephant was clearly a loved and respected animal in Tolkien's factual bestiary. In [[The Black Gate is Closed]] [[Sam Gamgee]] foreshadows the appearance of the creatures when he stands up, puts his hands behind his back and begins; "Grey as a mouse, big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake... etc". This poem is published in full on this website under the title [[Oliphaunt]].

Oliphaunts were clearly a legendary creature to the Hobbits, judging from the delighted recognition by Sam, of the elephantine individual which later crashed past their hiding place in [[North Ithilien]] in [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]. Presumably this recognition came from ancient tales from when the hobbits lived further south and east or from their contact with other more wandering peoples after the hobbits had firmly settled themselves in [[The Shire]] and the [[Bree]]lands. Investigation of Tolkien's texts does not suggest an appearance or reference to Oliphaunts prior to the [[Third Age]].

In [[The Lord of the Rings]] the beasts are being used by fighting men from [[Harad]] as trained servants of war to intimidate their enemies and their enemies' horses and to provide an oversight of battle-fields. This gives a joint nod to the use of war-elephants by Persians and the Moghuls of India and perhaps also to the use by Hannibal of African Elephants in sacking parts of Italy during the late 2nd Century.

The Oliphaunts or [[Mûmakil]] to use the plural of the singular [[Mûmak]] were notably used by the men of Harad in [[The Siege of Gondor]] and subsequently in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15th, T.A. 3019. They were big enough to carry tower-like structures on their backs, but as this practice has been used with modern species of elephants, it is left to the the reader's imagination as to whether the beasts referred to in the Lord of the Rings are particularly gigantic.

On a practical level, for people to be confronted with such large, thick-skinned, unfamiliar and unpredictable beasts would have meant an immediate disadvantage. Working out how to effectively kill or disabled a raging mûmak on a chaotic battlefield would have been a trying task to say the least. Tolkien makes reference in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to horses being frightened of them; "... wherever the ''mûmakil'' came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the [[Haradrim]] rallied about them." A heroic and possibly tragically lone solution, is made later in the text; "and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close enough to shoot at the eyes of the monsters."
--Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

==Etymology==
The word "oliphaunt" was only used by [[Hobbits]]. [[Gandalf]] mentions [[elephants]] once in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' so perhaps 'oliphaunt' is a [[Hobbitish]] corruption of this original word. But whether these two creatures are the same, can not be said with certainty.

Oliphant/olifant/olifaunt had been archaic words for elephant and the ivory. The most famous use of the oliphant (as in horn) is in ''[[wikipedia:The Song of Ronald|The Song of Roland]]'' "The oliphant is set to Roland's Lips"; Roland fails to call for help at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 until it is too late for him and his comrades.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
'''1968: ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Hobbit]]'':'''
:Gandalf's line "Great elephants!" was replaced by "Great oliphaunts"; this was one of several uses of material from ''The Lord of the Rings''.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Two oliphaunts appear in the ambush in [[Ithilien]]. They are CGI created, and they are much, much bigger than today's elephants; furthermore, they have 2 sets of big tusks and one set of tiny tusks.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Oliphaunts are used in the scenes from the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], mounted with towers and decorated with deadly spikes on their multiple tusks. The [[Rohirrim]] charge headlong into battle, and even pass under them. Several oliphaunts were killed.

:[[Weta]] made a large slain prop ''mûmak'' at almost the last minute, much to Weta staff's consternation, on request by the director Peter Jackson. It appears in the scene where [[Peregrin Took]] enters the field and locates the dazed and disoriented [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] after his experience with [[Eowyn]] in successfully slaying the [[Witch-king of Angmar]]. Rumour has it that the prop became a favourite picnic destination for crew members.

[[de:Mûmakil]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:mumakil]]
[[fi:Mûmakil]]

[[category:Mammals]]

Oliphaunts

2009-09-30T12:33:04Z

Swmprd92: /* Portrayals in adaptations */

{{sources}}
[[Image:Alan Lee - An Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|250px|An Oliphaunt by [[Alan Lee]].]]

'''Oliphaunts''' were animals similar to - but larger than - [[Elephants|elephants]]. In the tongue of the [[Haradrim]], they were known as ''mûmakil'' (singular ''[[mûmak]]''); this was later used by the [[Men]] of [[Gondor]].

==The animal==
From monstrous to homely; the Elephant was clearly a loved and respected animal in Tolkien's factual bestiary. In [[The Black Gate is Closed]] [[Sam Gamgee]] foreshadows the appearance of the creatures when he stands up, puts his hands behind his back and begins; "Grey as a mouse, big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake... etc". This poem is published in full on this website under the title [[Oliphaunt]].

Oliphaunts were clearly a legendary creature to the Hobbits, judging from the delighted recognition by Sam, of the elephantine individual which later crashed past their hiding place in [[North Ithilien]] in [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]. Presumably this recognition came from ancient tales from when the hobbits lived further south and east or from their contact with other more wandering peoples after the hobbits had firmly settled themselves in [[The Shire]] and the [[Bree]]lands. Investigation of Tolkien's texts does not suggest an appearance or reference to Oliphaunts prior to the [[Third Age]].

In [[The Lord of the Rings]] the beasts are being used by fighting men from [[Harad]] as trained servants of war to intimidate their enemies and their enemies' horses and to provide an oversight of battle-fields. This gives a joint nod to the use of war-elephants by Persians and the Moghuls of India and perhaps also to the use by Hannibal of African Elephants in sacking parts of Italy during the late 2nd Century.

The Oliphaunts or [[Mûmakil]] to use the plural of the singular [[Mûmak]] were notably used by the men of Harad in [[The Siege of Gondor]] and subsequently in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15th, T.A. 3019. They were big enough to carry tower-like structures on their backs, but as this practice has been used with modern species of elephants, it is left to the the reader's imagination as to whether the beasts referred to in the Lord of the Rings are particularly gigantic.

On a practical level, for people to be confronted with such large, thick-skinned, unfamiliar and unpredictable beasts would have meant an immediate disadvantage. Working out how to effectively kill or disabled a raging mûmak on a chaotic battlefield would have been a trying task to say the least. Tolkien makes reference in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to horses being frightened of them; "... wherever the ''mûmakil'' came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the [[Haradrim]] rallied about them." A heroic and possibly tragically lone solution, is made later in the text; "and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close enough to shoot at the eyes of the monsters."
--Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

==Etymology==
The word "oliphaunt" was only used by [[Hobbits]]. [[Gandalf]] mentions [[elephants]] once in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' so perhaps 'oliphaunt' is a [[Hobbitish]] corruption of this original word. But whether these two creatures are the same, can not be said with certainty.

Oliphant/olifant/olifaunt had been archaic words for elephant and the ivory. The most famous use of the oliphant (as in horn) is in ''[[wikipedia:The Song of Ronald|The Song of Roland]]'' "The oliphant is set to Roland's Lips"; Roland fails to call for help at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 until it is too late for him and his comrades.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
'''1968: ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Hobbit]]'':'''
:Gandalf's line "Great elephants!" was replaced by "Great oliphaunts"; this was one of several uses of material from ''The Lord of the Rings''.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Two oliphaunts appear in the ambush in [[Ithilien]]. They are CGI created, and they are much, much bigger than today's elephants; furthermore, they have 2 sets of big tusks and one set of tiny tusks.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Oliphaunts are used in the scenes from the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], mounted with towers and decorated with deadly spikes on their multiple tusks. The [[Rohirrim]] charge headlong into battle, and even pass under them. Several oliphaunts were killed.

:[[Weta]] made a large slain prop ''mûmak'' at almost the last minute, much to Weta staff's consternation, on request by the director Peter Jackson. It appears in the scene where [[Peregrin Took]] enters the field and locates the dazed and disoriented [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] after his experience with [[Eowyn]] in successfully slaying the [[Witch King of Angmar]]. Rumour has it that the prop became a favourite picnic destination for crew members.

[[de:Mûmakil]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:mumakil]]
[[fi:Mûmakil]]

[[category:Mammals]]

Oliphaunts

2009-09-30T12:30:55Z

Swmprd92: /* Portrayals in adaptations */

{{sources}}
[[Image:Alan Lee - An Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|250px|An Oliphaunt by [[Alan Lee]].]]

'''Oliphaunts''' were animals similar to - but larger than - [[Elephants|elephants]]. In the tongue of the [[Haradrim]], they were known as ''mûmakil'' (singular ''[[mûmak]]''); this was later used by the [[Men]] of [[Gondor]].

==The animal==
From monstrous to homely; the Elephant was clearly a loved and respected animal in Tolkien's factual bestiary. In [[The Black Gate is Closed]] [[Sam Gamgee]] foreshadows the appearance of the creatures when he stands up, puts his hands behind his back and begins; "Grey as a mouse, big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake... etc". This poem is published in full on this website under the title [[Oliphaunt]].

Oliphaunts were clearly a legendary creature to the Hobbits, judging from the delighted recognition by Sam, of the elephantine individual which later crashed past their hiding place in [[North Ithilien]] in [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]. Presumably this recognition came from ancient tales from when the hobbits lived further south and east or from their contact with other more wandering peoples after the hobbits had firmly settled themselves in [[The Shire]] and the [[Bree]]lands. Investigation of Tolkien's texts does not suggest an appearance or reference to Oliphaunts prior to the [[Third Age]].

In [[The Lord of the Rings]] the beasts are being used by fighting men from [[Harad]] as trained servants of war to intimidate their enemies and their enemies' horses and to provide an oversight of battle-fields. This gives a joint nod to the use of war-elephants by Persians and the Moghuls of India and perhaps also to the use by Hannibal of African Elephants in sacking parts of Italy during the late 2nd Century.

The Oliphaunts or [[Mûmakil]] to use the plural of the singular [[Mûmak]] were notably used by the men of Harad in [[The Siege of Gondor]] and subsequently in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15th, T.A. 3019. They were big enough to carry tower-like structures on their backs, but as this practice has been used with modern species of elephants, it is left to the the reader's imagination as to whether the beasts referred to in the Lord of the Rings are particularly gigantic.

On a practical level, for people to be confronted with such large, thick-skinned, unfamiliar and unpredictable beasts would have meant an immediate disadvantage. Working out how to effectively kill or disabled a raging mûmak on a chaotic battlefield would have been a trying task to say the least. Tolkien makes reference in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to horses being frightened of them; "... wherever the ''mûmakil'' came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the [[Haradrim]] rallied about them." A heroic and possibly tragically lone solution, is made later in the text; "and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close enough to shoot at the eyes of the monsters."
--Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

==Etymology==
The word "oliphaunt" was only used by [[Hobbits]]. [[Gandalf]] mentions [[elephants]] once in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' so perhaps 'oliphaunt' is a [[Hobbitish]] corruption of this original word. But whether these two creatures are the same, can not be said with certainty.

Oliphant/olifant/olifaunt had been archaic words for elephant and the ivory. The most famous use of the oliphant (as in horn) is in ''[[wikipedia:The Song of Ronald|The Song of Roland]]'' "The oliphant is set to Roland's Lips"; Roland fails to call for help at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 until it is too late for him and his comrades.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
'''1968: ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Hobbit]]'':'''
:Gandalf's line "Great elephants!" was replaced by "Great oliphaunts"; this was one of several uses of material from ''The Lord of the Rings''.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Two oliphaunts appear in the ambush in [[Ithilien]]. They are CGI created, and they are much, much bigger than today's elephants; furthermore, they have 2 sets of big tusks and one set of tiny tusks.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Oliphaunts are used in the scenes from the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], mounted with towers and decorated with deadly spikes on their multiple tusks. The [[Rohirrim]] charge headlong into battle, and even pass under them. Several oliphaunts were killed.

:[[Weta]] made a large prop ''mûmak'' on request by the director at almost the last minute much to Weta staff's consternation. It appears in the scene where Pippin enters the field and locates the dazed and disoriented [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] after his experience with [[Eowyn]] in successfully slaying the [[Witch King of Angmar]]. Rumour has it that this prop became a favourite picnic destination for crew members.

[[de:Mûmakil]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:mumakil]]
[[fi:Mûmakil]]

[[category:Mammals]]

Oliphaunts

2009-09-30T12:24:56Z

Swmprd92: /* The animal */

{{sources}}
[[Image:Alan Lee - An Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|250px|An Oliphaunt by [[Alan Lee]].]]

'''Oliphaunts''' were animals similar to - but larger than - [[Elephants|elephants]]. In the tongue of the [[Haradrim]], they were known as ''mûmakil'' (singular ''[[mûmak]]''); this was later used by the [[Men]] of [[Gondor]].

==The animal==
From monstrous to homely; the Elephant was clearly a loved and respected animal in Tolkien's factual bestiary. In [[The Black Gate is Closed]] [[Sam Gamgee]] foreshadows the appearance of the creatures when he stands up, puts his hands behind his back and begins; "Grey as a mouse, big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake... etc". This poem is published in full on this website under the title [[Oliphaunt]].

Oliphaunts were clearly a legendary creature to the Hobbits, judging from the delighted recognition by Sam, of the elephantine individual which later crashed past their hiding place in [[North Ithilien]] in [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]. Presumably this recognition came from ancient tales from when the hobbits lived further south and east or from their contact with other more wandering peoples after the hobbits had firmly settled themselves in [[The Shire]] and the [[Bree]]lands. Investigation of Tolkien's texts does not suggest an appearance or reference to Oliphaunts prior to the [[Third Age]].

In [[The Lord of the Rings]] the beasts are being used by fighting men from [[Harad]] as trained servants of war to intimidate their enemies and their enemies' horses and to provide an oversight of battle-fields. This gives a joint nod to the use of war-elephants by Persians and the Moghuls of India and perhaps also to the use by Hannibal of African Elephants in sacking parts of Italy during the late 2nd Century.

The Oliphaunts or [[Mûmakil]] to use the plural of the singular [[Mûmak]] were notably used by the men of Harad in [[The Siege of Gondor]] and subsequently in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15th, T.A. 3019. They were big enough to carry tower-like structures on their backs, but as this practice has been used with modern species of elephants, it is left to the the reader's imagination as to whether the beasts referred to in the Lord of the Rings are particularly gigantic.

On a practical level, for people to be confronted with such large, thick-skinned, unfamiliar and unpredictable beasts would have meant an immediate disadvantage. Working out how to effectively kill or disabled a raging mûmak on a chaotic battlefield would have been a trying task to say the least. Tolkien makes reference in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to horses being frightened of them; "... wherever the ''mûmakil'' came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the [[Haradrim]] rallied about them." A heroic and possibly tragically lone solution, is made later in the text; "and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close enough to shoot at the eyes of the monsters."
--Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

==Etymology==
The word "oliphaunt" was only used by [[Hobbits]]. [[Gandalf]] mentions [[elephants]] once in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' so perhaps 'oliphaunt' is a [[Hobbitish]] corruption of this original word. But whether these two creatures are the same, can not be said with certainty.

Oliphant/olifant/olifaunt had been archaic words for elephant and the ivory. The most famous use of the oliphant (as in horn) is in ''[[wikipedia:The Song of Ronald|The Song of Roland]]'' "The oliphant is set to Roland's Lips"; Roland fails to call for help at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 until it is too late for him and his comrades.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
'''1968: ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Hobbit]]'':'''
:Gandalf's line "Great elephants!" was replaced by "Great oliphaunts"; this was one of several uses of material from ''The Lord of the Rings''.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Two oliphaunts appear in the ambush in [[Ithilien]]. They are CGI created, and they are much, much bigger than today's elephants; furthermore, they have 2 sets of big tusks and one set of tiny tusks.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:A horde of Oliphuants shows up at the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], mounted with towers and decorated with deadly spikes on their tusks. The [[rohirrim]] charge headlong into battle, and even pass under them. Several oliphaunts were killed.

:[[Weta]] made a large prop ''mûmak'' (which [[Richard Taylor]] incorrectly called ''a mûmakil'') for background purposes. This prop became a favourite picnic destination for crew members.

[[de:Mûmakil]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:mumakil]]
[[fi:Mûmakil]]

[[category:Mammals]]

Oliphaunts

2009-09-30T12:21:26Z

Swmprd92: /* The animal */

{{sources}}
[[Image:Alan Lee - An Oliphaunt.jpg|thumb|250px|An Oliphaunt by [[Alan Lee]].]]

'''Oliphaunts''' were animals similar to - but larger than - [[Elephants|elephants]]. In the tongue of the [[Haradrim]], they were known as ''mûmakil'' (singular ''[[mûmak]]''); this was later used by the [[Men]] of [[Gondor]].

==The animal==
From monstrous to homely; the Elephant was clearly a loved and respected animal in Tolkien's factual bestiary. In [[The Black Gate is Closed]] Sam foreshadows the appearance of the creatures when he stands up, puts his hands behind his back and begins; "Grey as a mouse, big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake... etc". This poem is published in full on this website under the title [[Oliphaunt]].

Oliphaunts were clearly a legendary creature to the Hobbits, judging from the delighted recognition by [[Sam Gamgee] of the elephantine individual which later crashed past their hiding place in [[North Ithilien]] in [[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]. Presumably this recognition came from ancient tales from when the hobbits lived further south and east or from their contact with other more wandering peoples after the hobbits had firmly settled themselves in [[The Shire]] and the [[Bree]]lands. Investigation of Tolkien's texts does not suggest an appearance or reference to Oliphaunts prior to the [[Third Age]].

In [[The Lord of the Rings]] the beasts are being used by fighting men from [[Harad]] as trained servants of war to intimidate their enemies and their enemies' horses and to provide an oversight of battle-fields. This gives a joint nod to the use of war-elephants by Persians and the Moguls of India and perhaps also to the use by Hannibal of African Elephants in sacking parts of Italy during the late 2nd Century.

The Oliphaunts or [[Mûmakil]] to use the plural of the singular [[Mûmak]] were notably used by the men of Harad in [[The Siege of Gondor]] and subsequently in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15th, T.A. 3019. They were big enough to carry tower-like structures on their backs, but as this practice has been used with modern species of elephants, it is left to the the reader's imagination as to whether the beasts referred to in the Lord of the Rings are particularly gigantic.

On a practical level, for people to be confronted with such large, thick-skinned, unfamiliar and unpredictable beasts would have meant an immediate disadvantage. Working out how to effectively kill or disabled a raging mûmak on a chaotic battlefield would have been a trying task to say the least. Tolkien makes reference in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to horses being frightened of them; "... wherever the --Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)''mûmakil'' came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the [[Haradrim rallied about them]]." A heroic and possibly tragically lone solution, is made later in the text; "and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close enough to shoot at the eyes of the monsters."
--Ralph Brew 12:21, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

==Etymology==
The word "oliphaunt" was only used by [[Hobbits]]. [[Gandalf]] mentions [[elephants]] once in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' so perhaps 'oliphaunt' is a [[Hobbitish]] corruption of this original word. But whether these two creatures are the same, can not be said with certainty.

Oliphant/olifant/olifaunt had been archaic words for elephant and the ivory. The most famous use of the oliphant (as in horn) is in ''[[wikipedia:The Song of Ronald|The Song of Roland]]'' "The oliphant is set to Roland's Lips"; Roland fails to call for help at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 until it is too late for him and his comrades.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
'''1968: ''[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Hobbit]]'':'''
:Gandalf's line "Great elephants!" was replaced by "Great oliphaunts"; this was one of several uses of material from ''The Lord of the Rings''.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Two oliphaunts appear in the ambush in [[Ithilien]]. They are CGI created, and they are much, much bigger than today's elephants; furthermore, they have 2 sets of big tusks and one set of tiny tusks.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:A horde of Oliphuants shows up at the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], mounted with towers and decorated with deadly spikes on their tusks. The [[rohirrim]] charge headlong into battle, and even pass under them. Several oliphaunts were killed.

:[[Weta]] made a large prop ''mûmak'' (which [[Richard Taylor]] incorrectly called ''a mûmakil'') for background purposes. This prop became a favourite picnic destination for crew members.

[[de:Mûmakil]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:mumakil]]
[[fi:Mûmakil]]

[[category:Mammals]]

User talk:Swmprd92

2009-09-30T12:05:19Z

Swmprd92: Adding welcome message to new user's talk page